Things our Boys Notice

We have discovered that we are slipping back into our Japanese ways without even realizing it. Sometimes it takes the boys to notice these things. The other day Willem was listening as Christy was talking to one of the preschool teachers about the previous week's lesson, which the other teacher had missed. Willem, who had been at the class, wondered why Christy said "Maybe we sang the ABC song and read the story about Samuel." Later he asked us why Christy would say "maybe" for something she knew very well she had done. We explained to him that in Japan it is not usual to speak in such definite terms. Although she was speaking in English, Christy phrased it in the way the Japanese do, but she didn't even realize that she was doing it until Willem pointed it out. I wonder how many of these idiosyncrasies we will bring back to the US with us when we return.

Getting Adjusted

We have been here about a week and a half now and are starting to get into the swing of things again. For Christy and Terence the adjustments are more a matter of getting back into the way of doing things in Japan. For example, we have to separate our garbage here. We have burnable and non-burnable garbage, as well as a variety of recycled trash, each of which gets picked up on different days. Add to this the fact that in our neighborhood you now have to put your burnable trash in special yellow bags and the non-burnable in special pink bags, which we didn't know about at first. I had the distinct privilege of going out near midnight last night to retrieve my burnable trash from the garbage collection site because the city wouldn't pick it up. Each bag also contained a note telling me to use the approved yellow bags.
The boys are having a great time learning about Japanese culture and food. Last weekend we visited Jindaiji temple, which is a nearby temple famous for it's soba noodles. Around the temple there are all kinds of traditional shops selling snacks, meals and souvenirs. One shop we often went to was a paint your own pottery shop. We made each of the boys their own tea cups with their names written on them in Japanese. We also ate noodles sitting outside by a little pond with Koi and a waterfall. Our final stop that day was the hospital where Tai was born last time we were in Japan.
We are also spending a lot of time teaching at the pre-schools. The boys are welcome there too and are having fun helping the kids in English class and learning Japanese language, games and stories. We also are enjoying getting to know the children at the schools and getting reacquainted with the teachers we remember from before.

Back in Japan

Well, we made it to Japan. Our flights went well, with no delays and easy transfers. All the boys did great on the flights. Even Xavier did quite well. All together it was 24 hours of travel door to door. We are starting to get settled into our new apartment. Our big adventure today was a walk to the local department/grocery store to buy groceries and some other things we need. We were pleasantly surprised to find there were very few things we needed to get because the the people of Nishi Kunitachi Church of God had come to clean, set up and move things into our apartment the day before we came. They even stocked our fridge with a few items we would need.

There were a few interesting things that happened on the trip. As we reached cruising altitude on our first flight, Tai looked out of the plane window and said "Hey, this is better than Google Earth." Also, while we were on approach to Narita airport, Xavier took a look out the window and noticed we were coming lower to the water and started to get somewhat upset. He calmed down after we closed the window, however. All the boys loved going through Tokyo on the bus in the evening, seeing all the neon lights, Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Tokyo tower. Even Xavier took lots of pictures of the tower with his toy camera.

Tomorrow we look forward to worshipping at Nishi Kunitachi Church of God and seeing the rest of the congregation. Another pastor will preach, so we don't have any responsibilities right away.

One last thing. Contact with us will be a little difficult at first as we don't have a phone or internet connection yet. That should be hooked up sometime next week, so forgive us if we take a little long replying to emails.

Packing and Preparing

How do you pack for 9 weeks with 3 kids in a small apartment in another country with no clothes dryer and cold weather and no car and airline luggage limitations?
That's been challenge we've been dealing with recently. It all started months ago as we began to think about and gather items for the boys schooling that would be easy to take along. Then we began "The Pile" of things to go to Japan. One corner of our room was taken over with luggage, books, warm clothes, and much more.
At this point, we're feeling pretty confident and relieved. With the exceptions of a few items being washed and dried, everyone's clothes are packed, luggage is all chosen, and even the carry on bags are mostly packed. This is actually very good for us because most times we take a trip we are up till 1:00 the night before packing and preparing.
Some people have asked how we plan and pack for such a situation. One thing we have going for us is we are familiar with Japan and what is available, so we know what we can and can't get there. For example, we know there is a great chain of stores that sell inexpensive fleece jackets for the whole family. We know that the Japanese version of anti-itch cream is much better than the American version. We know it is better to get winter pajamas for the boys in Japan if they don't have enough. We also know that shoes are critical because we will be doing a lot of walking, and shoes in Christy's and Terence's sizes are virtually unavailable. We know the clothes we pack need to be warm for cooler temperatures, but not too bulky so they will air dry faster, because we won't have a clothes dryer in Japan (most people don't).
In the last week we found out that we will have a different, slightly bigger apartment with three total rooms (not including bathroom) instead of the two room apartment we had before, so the boys will have their own room. We learned we'll be going by bus from the airport, which is a bit of a disappointment for the boys who were looking forward to their first train adventure. It is a relief for us, however, as we won't have to worry so much about maneuvering luggage and 3 sleepy boys through train stations. We also learned that our church family in Japan will be cleaning and preparing our apartment for us before we arrive.
Things are coming together.

Fundraising Update

Fundraising is something we are new at. There is no doubt about that. We thought we would update you on how it is going. As of today (December 22) we have raised $2392.81. That puts us between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way to our needed $6000. We are not discouraged to know that we have 24 days before we leave to raise nearly $4000. We know that God will provide. It encourages us greatly when we get the folded little envelopes and see how people are helping us. We thank you all for your support and we know that there are others who may not be able to give but they are praying for us.
If you planned to give but haven't had a chance yet, it is certainly not to late. We do not have to actually pay for our tickets until after we get back. You can send contributions to:

Riverchase Community Church

2053 Old Montgomery Hwy.

Birmingham, AL 35244

Make sure you make your checks out to RCC and write Japan Mission on the memo line. The church will make sure you get a tax receipt for your support.

A Little About Our Assignment

Terence and I both feel God has called us to minister to the people in Japan. Our last assignment in Japan was to minister at four Christian preschools and also help lead a small Church of God congregation. This is where we will be filling in, and we expect the schedule to be very similar. In Japan, teaching English is a major outreach ministry for Japanese churches and Christian schools. Many people who aren't Christian will send their children to churches or Christian preschools in order for them to learn English.

We had several ministries we served in. We worked at four preschools from Tuesday through Saturday. Mornings we taught English lessons to the preschool students. The lessons were mostly taught using children's songs and Bible stories. In the afternoons and evenings we would teach English lessons to school age children and adults. The adult classes were one hour long and included a half hour of Bible class. Different days of the week were scheduled at different schools. Throughout the year there were also other ministry opportunities like sharing the message at the annual Christmas programs and speaking at staff meetings and parties. The position was designed for a single person but we went for this special assignment missionary position when Willem was eight months old. We split the schedule so I taught most of the pre-school classes and Terence taught most of the elementary classes and all of the adult classes.

On Sunday we ministered at a small Japanese church that met at one of the preschools. This church does not have a pastor. Terence and I preached the message three times a month and a visiting Japanese pastor came on the other Sunday. We would also teach an adult Sunday school class and plan special children's events throughout the year. We hear that they now have a regular Children's Sunday school program. One other ministry we worked in was a weekly afternoon Bible study with several women from the neighborhood we lived in. This was a group made up of both Christian and non-Christian women. We alternated between Bible book studies and devotional books

Since we last left Japan, two other missionaries have filled the position we were in. The usual length of the missionary's term in this position has been 3 years, and usually they change at the end of the Japanese school year, which is in April. The current missionary, however, has to return to the U.S. In December. This would leave the schools and Bible study without an English teacher and the church without anyone to preach for four months. The missionary board is working to find a new missionary for the position, but this is a process that takes time. Since we are familiar with the position, we can easily come in and fill in from mid-January to close to the end of the school year.

We are really looking forward to going, but right now we are in the midst of trying to get everything set up here before we head out, from the mundane things like figuring out who will take care of our mail and feed our fish to the more stressful things like raising funds. It helps us keep our feet on the ground.

Let us know if you have any questions or comments about this upcoming opportunity.

Christy (and Terence and the boys)